The Hamburg Model – exemplary integration of youth into vocational education

By Elina Priedulena

The lack of skilled workforce is one of the biggest problems for European companies – and due to the demographic development, this challenge is growing. At the same time, youth unemployment is on the rise and too many youth are left behind with no education or training at all.

The implementation and the strengthening of the dual vocational education offer valuable contributions to the problem-solving described above. Thus a specific one-year professional qualification within the dual system for young people was successfully introduced in the city of Hamburg, Germany: the so called “Hamburg Model”. This is a proven method to integrate young people into the professional education, who would otherwise not get this chance and too often end up without any training. Moreover, the Hamburg Model makes the choice of the profession more certain, decreases drop-out rates and increases the chances on the labor market significantly. During a two-year implementation period, this Model was adapted, transferred and put into action in Hungary and Lithuania. This book provides a good basis for the transfer to other countries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Release date: Aug 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9783739275352

Book preview

Academy

1. Introduction

In some of the European Union states up to 15% of school leavers cannot begin a professional education, have to stay in long queues or do not obtain professional education at all. Up to 30 % of young people who begin vocational training abandon it completely or change the profession during the vocational training. The professional education has significantly lost its appeal in most of the EU countries. Especially in the new EU countries (e.g. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia) with predominantly school based vocational training the participation has even dropped to an alarmingly low level.

On the other site Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) complain about lack of qualifications of vocational school graduates and the increasing lack of skilled professionals. However, in the contest for young qualified workers SMEs threaten to be the losers. Due to the lack of qualified staff, innovation in SMEs is already much lower than it might or should actually be. The shortage of young entrepreneurs, managers and professionals limits most the growth of SMEs. Improvement of qualification, accompanied by elimination of shortage of skilled labour is the most important supportive task and the central key to sustainable promotion of innovation, competitiveness and growth of SMEs in the Baltic Sea Region.

The implementation and the strengthening of the dual vocational education and training make crucial contributions to the problem-solving described above. Hence, for five years in Hamburg a model, so called Hamburg Model, of one-year professional qualification within the dual system for young people was successfully introduced. This is a proven method to integrate young people into the professional education, who would otherwise not get this chance. Moreover, the Hamburg Model makes the choice of the profession more certain, decreases drop-out rates and increases the chances on the labour market significantly. The one-year professional qualification can be acknowledged as the first year of the professional training. While or after one year of learning the students can continue with the regular dual professional education.

After the further development and adaptation of the model to the country-specific conditions it is implemented in two countries with predominantly school-based vocational training: Vilnius and Budapest.

In connection with the transfer and implementation of the Hamburg Model the German dual vocational training system and experiences should be broadly transferred and thus initiations of Work-based Learning supported.

The broad networks of the Hanse-Parlament with about 50 Chambers of Crafts, Industry and Commerce and the Baltic Sea Academy with 17 universities from countries of the BSR act as permanent developers, promoters and consultants of the Hamburg Model and the dual system in the whole Baltic Sea Region. Hence, high sustainability and broad effect are achieved.

These all activities are carried out within the Lifelong Learning Programme, Leonardo da Vinci, Innovation Transfer project Future perspective: Annual Professional Qualification - Hamburg Model (DE/13/LLP-LdV/TOI/147613) from 2013-2015.

The main objectives of the project are:

a) Integration of young people with poor chances on the education market into the regular vocational education and training by implementing the Hamburg Model, thus reduction of drop-outs, improvement of qualifications as well as chances on the labour market and reduction of youth unemployment is achieved.

b) Transfer of the German dual vocational training system and support of implementation.

c) Transfer of all results in all the Baltic Sea Region countries and ensuring high sustainability.

Eight partners from six countries are involved in the project:

PP 0: Hanse-Parlament, Germany, Lead Partner and coordinator of the project activities

PP 1: Baltic Sea Academy, Germany, elaboration of analyses, PR work, transfer activities

PP 2: Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education, Germany, core partner, developer and implementer of the Hamburg Model in Hamburg, consultation tasks for implementations in the project

PP 3: Nordic Crafts Forum, Norway, developer of the feasibility studies about the introduction of the Hamburg Model and dual vocational education system in Norway, experience exchange

PP 4: Latvian Chamber of Crafts, Latvia, developer of the feasibility studies about the introduction of the Hamburg Model and dual vocational education system in Latvia, experience exchange

PP 5: Public Institution Vilnius Builder Trainings Centre, Lithuania, implementing partner of the Hamburg Model in Lithuania

PP 6: Kontiki Vocational Training, Hungary, implementing partner of the Hamburg Model in Hungary

PP 7: Hanseatic Academy of Management in Slupsk, Poland, developer of the feasibility studies about the introduction of the Hamburg Model and dual vocational education system in Poland, experience exchange

For six months of the project the representant from Poland was the Craft Chamber of Łódź that was involved as project partner with the partner number 7. The Craft Chamber of Łódź had the task to implement the Hamburg Model in Łódź. Once it turned out that the implementation is not possible due to law regulations in the region, the partner asked to leave the project. As the new Polish partner the Hanseatic Academy of Management in Slupsk joined the project to prepare feasibility study of Hamburg Model implementation in Poland (see the results in the chapter 8.1.).

The Transfer Partners are:

Members of the Hanse-Parlament and

Members of the Baltic Sea Academy

2. The dual system of vocational training in Germany

¹

The vocational training plays a prominent role in the German educational system. Almost 60 % of each year’s students choose professional education. Up to 70 % of them again fall into the dual system while the remaining part of the students completes a full-time school-based education at a vocational school. The system is called dual because the training is performed in two learning places: at an enterprise and at the vocational school. At the moment in Germany the training is possible in 349 acknowledged qualified professions for the duration between 2 and 3,5 years.

The central law for the vocational training in Germany is the Vocational Training Act (BBiG). Other important laws are: the Crafts Code (HwO), the Ordinance on Trainer Aptitude, the Young Persons Employment Act, the Industrial Constitution Act, the Law for the Advancement of Further Training and the Distance Learning Protection Act.

The legal basis for the enactment of educational regulations are §25 of BBiG or §25 of HwO. There it states that the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in consultation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research officially recognize qualified jobs and can issue educational regulations for this purpose. The educational regulations are prepared at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) by intensive involvement of representatives of the employers and employees.

For the job-related teaching at vocational schools the Permanent Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal States (KMK) issues framework plans which are aligned with the educational regulations of the federation. The curricula for the general teaching at the vocational school are developed principally by separate states because culture and education in Germany are subject to the sovereignty of the federal states.

The legal basis for the educational relationship between the enterprise and the apprentice is established by the training contract which must be concluded in writing before the beginning of the training. The following is regulated in the training contract, incl.:

type, structure and especially the goal of the training

beginning and duration of the training

training measures

duration of the regular daily time of training

duration of the probation period

payment method and amount of trainee allowance

duration of the leave

preconditions for termination

The training contract must be submitted to the competent authority – in Germany these are corresponding competent chambers – and there it must be registered in the List of vocational training relationships if the training suitability of the enterprise is verified.

2.1. Division of responsibilities

The responsibilities in the dual system in Germany are divided as follows.

Source: own diagram

1) Framework of the federal law

All the parties involved in the dual education (federation, states and economy) act within the legal framework determined by the Vocational Training Act (BBiG). In addition further labor law provisions of various branches of law are also obligatory for the professional education and further training. So legal provisions and legal principles which are valid for the labour contracts are also valid for this training contract provided that special regulations are not stipulated in the BBiG.

2) Federal Government

The Federal Government is responsible for the contents of the qualified jobs acknowledged by it, provided that the training does not take place at schools. Through the obligatory acknowledgement of qualified jobs in the whole Federation the threshold figures elaborated together with the economies and the states are implemented and at the same time it is ensured that the training for the acknowledged qualified profession may be performed only according to the training regulations issued by the Federal Government.

3) Lands

The lands are fully and solely responsible for the school system. In the dual education it means, that according to the agreement of the states between each other and with other parties involved in the dual education – in respect of the corresponding qualified profession each state shall issue a curriculum for its training at the vocational school. Besides it, states perform legal supervision of the chambers.

4) Economy (employer and unions)

Suggestions for the development or revision of training regulations provided by the economy are taken up by the Federal Government only when they were elaborated in consensus of employers and unions. Independently from the Federal Government the tariff partners stipulate further regulations for the vocational training on the basis of their tariff autonomy especially the amount of training remunerations. In some labour contracts in addition thereto other agreements are stipulated, for example, related to the temporary further employment of apprentices after the training.

Source: Graphic by R. Damm, Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education (HIBB); presentation during the Kick-Off Workshop of the project Hamburg Model in Vilnius, 12.11.2013, http://www.vet-bsr.eu/documents/

5) The chambers

The chambers as self-governing bodies of economy – within the framework of the dual training were assigned public tasks. They include the consulting and the supervision in respect of separate training relationships. Training consultants of the chambers check the training suitability of enterprises and trainers and also consult enterprises and the trainees. They accept training contracts, check and register them. The chambers organize the whole examination procedure by determining the terms and appointing examination commissions, which conduct the examinations. In addition thereto the chambers issue examination and graduation certificates. Examination commissions consist of representatives of employers, employees and vocational schools. Regarding important issues of vocational training the chamber shall hear the vocational training commission, which is to be established and which shall consist in equal proportions of representatives of enterprises, of employees and also of vocational schools in an advisory capacity.

2.2. School education background of the trainees

The statutory requirement for compulsory schooling in Germany begins as a rule at the age of 6 and lasts (depending on the Federal State) 9-10 years. After four years of elementary school the students make a decision about the secondary school within the general three-tier school system:

the gymnasium, which demanding curriculum is oriented at the acquisition of the general entitlement to study at universities

the middle school (Realschule), which curriculum leads to obtaining the middle school certificate which certifies broad general educational and vocational preparation qualifications, and

the secondary modern school (Hauptschule) which is customized for students with practical skills or interests and leads to the secondary school leaving certificate (e.g. introduces to the world of labour).

Source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Referat für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit (ed.), Berufsbildung sichtbar gemacht. Grundelemente des dualen Systems, Bonn 2003, http://www.bmbf.de/pub/berufsausbildung_sichtbar_gemacht.pdf (July 2015); own translation

Different paths often meet up each other in the professional education. Unlike full-time vocational schools, which require a middle school graduation certificate, in the dual system there are no admission requirements for the admission to the education; basically, it remains open for everybody. In practice 36,6 % of the training beginners possess a middle school graduation certificate, 32 % have secondary modern school graduation certificate and 15.8 % have general entitlement to study at universities while 2,4 % have no school graduation certificates. In addition 13.2 % of trainees have completed the vocational school basic education year (BGJ), the vocational preparation year (BVJ) or one-year vocational schools.

The education in the dual system is organized content-wise, so that it can be mastered by young people with at least secondary modern school graduation certificates. To compensate possible level differences on the basis of different educational background the Vocational Training Act or the Crafts Code envisages the reduction and also the extension of the period of training. Thereby it shall counteract the excessive or the insufficient demands in respect of the trainees.

2.3. Training centers in the dual vocational training system

2.3.1 Training center - Enterprise

Trainees usually spend 3-4 days a week in a company providing vocational training, where they are trained in practice on the basis of the training plan according to the provisions of the training regulations prepared with regard to the corresponding profession. The training regulations regulate e.g. the duration of training, describe the job and determine the requirements to examinations.

Source: Ursula Beicht, Tarifliche Ausbildungsvergütungen 2013 erneut stark gestiegen, Bundesinstitut für Be-rufsbildung 06.01.2014, http://www.bibb.de/dokumente/pdf/a21_dav_internet-fachbeitrag_azubiverguetungen-2013.pdf (July 2015); own tranlation

The characteristic feature of education is the acquisition of the required professional experience connected with the transfer of knowledge and skills. It guarantees that the training is performed under the same conditions, under which the studied profession will be exercised later. Only at the enterprise the trainee learns, on one hand, how to cope with the changing requirements of the professional practice and, on the other hand, he discovers the various social relations existing in the world of work. Additionally, promoted are independence and the sense of responsibility, because the trainee can demonstrate the obtained knowledge and skills through specific working tasks and in the real working conditions of the working, experiencing the success of his efforts.